October 5, 2009

Tsai Ming-liang pays tribute to Francois Truffaut in the first movie made under the Louvre’s new filmmaking initiative.

Taipei Times - Short Takes

Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction
Hong Kong’s China-market-friendly (read: suffocatingly naive) version of Michael Bay’s Transformers series holds back until late before the action kicks in. A policeman must look after a cyborg that has joined the force, but romantic complications between the robot and “his” colleagues take the plot hostage before an evil cyborg can do his thing. As the title suggests, there’s more love stuff in this one, but the reviews are even worse than for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which at least had splendid effects. Note: The English title is reversed in some markets. Directed by Jeff Lau (劉鎮偉), perhaps best known for Operation Pink Squad (霸王女福星) and its sequel from the late 1980s.

Khalil Fong (方大同) is definitely not your average pop singer. With his less-than-sculptural face, mop-top hair, black-rimmed glasses and waifish body, Fong looks more like your high school geek than a singer on MTV.

Gong Mi, the shan zhai Cecilia Cheung, was hurt badly while filming a TV series at Hengdian Studios. The actress was struck by a camera crane while suspended in the air by wires. Gong Mi was still conscious but taken to the hospital for injuries to her chest and abdomen. (Sina.com)

The Founding of a Republic is a propaganda film but not one that you would expect. It takes an almost documentary approach to the Chinese Civil War and the formation of the Republic and there is a sense of honesty about it.